President Obama Pardons Popcorn The Turkey (Video)

The votes have been counted and Popcorn the turkey is a free bird. In his annual turkey pardon, President Obama stood outside the White House, accompanied by his daughters, Sasha and Malia, and told a group of press and invited guests that "the office of the presidency brings many awesome...

By Laine Doss

November 28, 2013

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The votes have been counted and Popcorn the turkey is a free bird.

In his annual turkey pardon, President Obama stood outside the White House, accompanied by his daughters, Sasha and Malia, and told a group of press and invited guests that "the office of the presidency brings many awesome and solemn responsibilities", but "this is not one of them".

The turkeys competing for the Presidential pardon, Popcorn and Caramel, beat out 80 other turkeys at their Badger, Minnesota farm, prompting the President to compare the competition to the Hunger Games.

The two Toms then faced off against each other in a social media campaign to see who would meet the President (although both were spared the oven).

Obama then said, "the competition was stiff, but we can officially declare that Popcorn is the winner -- proving that even a turkey with a funny name can find a place in politics. As for Caramel, he's sticking around, and he's already busy raising money for his next campaign."

With that, President Obama pardoned the bird, giving him "a full reprieve from cranberry sauce and stuffing."

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Laine Doss is the food and spirits editor for Miami New Times, covering the restaurant and bar scene in South Florida. She has been featured on Cooking Channel’s Eat Street and Food Network’s Great Food Truck Race. Doss won an Alternative Weekly award for her feature on what it’s like to wait tables. In a previous life, she appeared off-Broadway and shook many a cocktail as a bartender at venues in South Florida and New York City. When she’s not writing, you can find Doss running some marathon then celebrating at the nearest watering hole.

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